Polish hospital modernises with antimicrobial copper

Regional Specialist Hospital WSSK in Wroclaw has announced an ongoing rollout of antimicrobial copper throughout the hospital

Regional Specialist Hospital WSSK in Wroclaw – among the first healthcare facilities in Poland to install antimicrobial copper touch surfaces as an additional infection control measure – is to undertake a rollout of antimicrobial copper throughout the hospital.

WSSK is a centre for both medical and research activities in many specialities – among them cardiology, oncology and nephrology – and has more than 150 medical doctors. Testing of solid antimicrobial copper touch surfaces installed in its Nephrology Ward – including door handles, IV poles and light switches – showed significantly lower levels of bacteria than non-copper equivalents. Surfaces now installed include bed rails, grab rails, shower chairs, toilet flushes and seats and treatment trolleys, and the hospital does not plan to stop there.

Professor Wojciech Witkiewicz, Director of WSSK, explains: ‘We want this hospital to be a true healthcare facility of the 21st century, so we’re modernising. I can’t imagine us not applying all existing technological achievements to attain this goal, and above all, reducing healthcare-associated infections is paramount.’

Katarzyna Romanowska, Coordinator of the Cu+ Implementation at WSSK, says: ‘We’ll continue fitting antimicrobial copper surfaces throughout the hospital because our own research has shown their efficacy at continuously reducing contamination. We hope to fit out the entire hospital eventually.’